DESCRIPTION: The delta region of Arkansas has a high minority population which is near the poverty level in per capita income and has a very poor record of academic achievements. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has a history of involvement in programs to enrich the educational opportunities for students in this region of the state. The goal of this application is to establish a sustained bridge with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), a major master level campus, to the Ph.D. degree program at UAMS. The bridge between these institutions will be developed by fostering collaborative research and teaching efforts on both campuses which will serve the recruitment of M.S. graduates from UAPB into the Ph.D. degree program at UAMS. The following specific steps will be used to initiate and monitor the bridge: (1) establish collaborative projects between UAMS and UAPB so that students enrolled at UAPB spend time in UAMS laboratories, (2) enhance educational opportunities for students at UAPB through seminar programs, trave and course work involving UAMS faculty, (3) facilitate the UAMS application process for UAPB graduates, (4) develop an effective system for student mentoring and counseling, (5) establish a masters degree in biomedical science at UAPB, and (6) develop markers of success to monitor progress of the program The assumption is that ongoing collaborative research between the two campuses will result in a program that will be self-sustaining after the two years of this proposed program.